THE PHILIPPINE 
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Journal of Science 
Vol. XV 
AUGUST, 1919 
No. 2 
ON THE APPLICATION OF THE GENERIC NAME 
MELODORUM OF LOUREIRO 
The genus Melodoi'um was proposed by Loureiro 1 in 1790 
for two species from Cochinchina, Melodorum fruticosum Lour, 
and M. arboreum Lour., of which the first is manifestly the type 
of the genus. While the description is not very definite, and 
while manifestly the fruit characters are based on material from 
some plant different from the type and in all probability not 
congeneric with it, it seems to be distinctly advisable to in- 
vestigate the status of the genus in view of the misinterpre- 
tation of it in all modern botanical literature. 
Fortunately for the purpose of this investigation Loureiro’s 
type of Melodorum fruticosum is preserved in the herbarium of 
the British Museum, and through the kindness of Dr. A. B. 
Rendle and Mr. J. G. Baker I have been supplied with a sketch 
of it with certain notes regarding the specimen. The material 
consists of a leafy branch with the broken pieces of a flower, 
from which it was possible to sketch an entire petal. 
After receiving the sketch mentioned above it was matched 
by material in the herbarium of the Bureau of Science and 
in order to verify my interpretation of Loureiro’s species frag- 
ments of several specimens were forwarded to the British Mu- 
seum for purposes of direct comparison with Loureiro’s type. 
In reference to this material Doctor Rendle notes under date of 
July 3, 1919: 
Loureiro’s plant is very much like the one labeled Polyalthia siamensis 
Boerl., cult. Hort. Bog.; the large petals seem identical in form but the 
By E. D. Merrill 
Botanist, Bureau of Science, Manila 
FI. Cochinch. (1790) 351. 
166470 
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